Contract
by Sgt-T-Shock
Summary: Red Rum is a Private Military Company employed by the Gym Leaders, Elite Four, and Champions of the regions to handle problems on the greasy underbelly of the world. Hunter, Romy, Rex, Katrine, and their team of highly trained soldier are dispatched to handle anything from cargo transfers to thwarting assassins.
1. Mission 0: Smoke

Volume One 1: Silver Knife

* * *

Mission 0: Smoke

_Saffron City, Sunday, 23:00_

* * *

In an all too familiar scene, Hunter stood with a body at his feet and blood on his fists. The night still held some youth in Saffron City. Smoke plumed from the thick metal pipes upon buildings. Tall light posts flickered on and off, unable to combat the darkness. Some car alarms rang loudly in the background, and some sort of cat Pokémon hissed at its dinner. A concrete jungle some might have called it. What he called it was a hunting ground. Tongues tended to slip when caught in a bad situation. Nothing was worse than being beat up in an alleyway.

Hunter kicked the man over with the toe of his hard, weatherworn boots. Sadly, these were just his hiking pair. His pair of steel toes remained in his office after a hard day of work. At least he was comfortable as he stomped on the man's stomach. Theodore Hood, he recalled his name was. To be honest, it hadn't crossed his mind to even ask if the name was correct. All that matter is that he had information that he needed. A lead that will lead him back to where this all started.

"Back to the basics," Hunter warned, lighting a cigarette with his right hand. "What do you know?"

"I dunno what you're—"This time, Hunter didn't even wait to kick poor Theo in the face. The thickly set, pudgy brown haired man spat up his front teeth and blood. "What are ya nuts?" he said holding his mouth.

"There's worse."

"I dunno nuthin'"

"You do know something. I didn't come all this way to get pizza and a cheesesteak."

Theodore curled himself into a ball, aching from the pain. For a moment, Hunter let him just stare up at him. He wasn't the biggest man, but well-built with an average height. The features of his face were deep ridges. He couldn't see his eyes, but couldn't only see the silhouette of his brow furrowing over where they should be. Hunter's chiseled jaw held an immense amount of yellow scruff, but not nearly the length to call a beard. Tousled medium length blonde hair sat like rags on his head. Nothing about this man seemed monstrous. He was just a nondescript man in a pair of beaten jeans and a wrinkled plaid red shirt. Theodore's gut told him otherwise.

With a small motion of his right foot, Hunter threatened another kick. "Stop stop, I'll tell ya. Just don't kill me man, I gotta family."

"Doesn't every criminal make that claim when they're about to have their face kicked in?"

"I gotta wife and everythin'…"

"Don't need your life story."

"I'm tellin' the—"

"Get on with what **_I_** care about before my feet catch an itch again."

Hunter clinched his cigarette with his teeth and tilted his head to tell the criminal it was safe to move. Theodore slumped himself to the thick red brick wall behind him. For a moment, he just stayed there with his eyes closed to take some deep breaths. The wall must have been comforting in comparison to the concrete. Maybe he needed to get his head together. Alas, his assailant wasn't so patient. When he opened his eyes back up, Hunter was squatting in front of him, blowing grey smoke into his eyes. "I've been a real good man today."

"Ya have?" Theodore squealed.

"Yeah. Normally, I'm not much of a talker."

"'lright, 'lright." Looking into his eyes felt much different than seeing those dark caves. They were blue. To most, blue eyes came with a calming and serene feeling. Bloodthirsty made its home in these. Hunter knew that. He knew how his eyes looked to people. That's why he got so close. Nothing scared more than a window to the soul. "There's a rumor that the Phoenix made a move in Unova. A dead senator or somethin'."

Hunter heard about that on the news. Assassinations weren't a completely new thing. With Pokémon being available to everyone, deaths were bound to happen. A high ranking senator was new. Money and power gave certain resources. It wouldn't have surprised him if the law-maker possessed a Groudon to protect his every move. Yet, somehow, Senator Jim Royals slept in a coffin today—or rather an urn. Fire Pokemon tended to make messy deaths for everyone involved. Forensics has narrowed it down to a specific egg group and attack. Millions of people have those types and millions of the same species exists. In the end, police stabbed blindly in the air and hoped to draw blood.

There was where he came in. He knew who was behind this. Proving it, however, proved difficult.

"Where was the last time you met with the Phoenix?"

"'bout three days ago."

"Three days ago, that was before the assassination. What did he want?"

"He needed some tickets. Paid top dollar fer 'em too."

"To where?"

"I dunno know."

"I'm getting real_ tired_ of hearing _that._ How the hell would you not know?" Hunter bit the end of his cigarette, before tossing it to the ground. "What**_ aren't_** you telling me?"

"Man, I honestly don't know! I referred him to someone else." Theodore found irritation on his face. Somehow, it was scarier than him just scowling all the time. "I can point ya in the right direction. I mean—that ain't a problem is it?"

"It is if you waste anymore of my time."

"I'm not—"

"You're stalling, I get that. Just tell me and I'll let you go. But, keep talking all of this nonsense and you're going to need straws for everything you eat. So get to the damn point."

"I referred him to a man, formerly of Team Plasma. One of the sages, I think."

"Gonna need a name, there's seven of them and one of my associates has a bone to pick with one."

"Bronius, I think."

Hunter cracked his knuckles. "You think?"

"I'm sure, I'm sure," Theodore pleaded.

"I don't like being put in the wrong direction."

"I'm sure that he hid out in Johto somewhere. I don't have specifics, I promise. I dunno even know if the Phoenix found 'em. If you're lucky, you'll find the Phoenix and you don't have to beat up poor little hood rats anymore."

"I'm always going to beat up poor little hood rats." Hunter made sure he believed that statement. "Also, he can't be there if he assassinated a man in Unova three days after. Well…can't win them all, this is good enough for now." He patted Theodore on the shoulder. "Just don't do anything stupid."

Hunter brought himself to his full height, stretching his legs. He watched the informant for a moment, feeling out what he'll do next. Details were everything. He saw the way Theodore rolled his hands over his pocket with one hand, and fumbled with a slender object at his back. As small as these cues were, Hunter knew where this was going. He just chose not to act. A knife was too personal, and he'll have to get close. Theodore was deciding against using it by the way his hands trembled. _Just don't do anything stupid, _he told him. What he did tell him is that if he did, he'll make true to every threat he made so far.

He went to walk away from the criminal with his hands stuffed in his pockets. At first, he only heard his own footsteps echoing back and forth between the cramp walls. Hunter only watched the shadows below him as they stretched deeply away from the light. Even for a while, he was sure that Theodore had listened. That was until he heard the sound of him getting up and his shadow producing a ball from his pockets. The idiot_ was_ going to do something stupid.

"Kill him, Stoutland—"

"Too slow."

Hunter produced his own Pokeball as well. No command, not even a toss of the ball, heralded his beast entrance into the alley. One second he was alone. Next, a yellow beast stood at his side, looming with one red eye and one blind one. The Electrivire waited for its opponent's entrance and gave no mercy the moment the dog hit the ground. This wasn't a Pokemon battle. There was no need to be a sportsman.

His Electrivire, Herc, knew his stuff. Very rarely did he have to tell him what to do. In his line of work, moments mattered. All of his Pokemon knew that and they needed to keep an eye out for each other. I

Herc slid into his first attack, his fist emitting a cloak of frost. It struck the Stoutland in the belly, freezing its underbelly fur. The second punch was masked in fire, which slammed into the creature's jaw to knock it into the air. Pivoting his feet, the electric beast twirled into a powerful right jab with its favored element. Blood spewed from Theodore's Pokemon as it tumbled into the last attack: Psychic. Herc held the Stoutland into place—globs of red liquid and all. "I told you don't be stupid," Hunter said with a shrug, lighting another cigarette. "Get rid of that, Herc, we have work tomorrow."

The cold statement was met with a sickening crack of bone and flesh against wall.

Staring at his crumple dog brought upon a fit of dry heaving from Theodore's throat. Brutality is what this world knew. It was what it understood. When the weak didn't realize when they needed to fold, they got hurt. Hunter rolled up his sleeves, revealing his thickly haired forearms. "I made so many threats; I don't know where to start to pay on that. I guess anywhere will do."

* * *

After a hard day of work, Hunter just liked to sit in that ugly green chair in the corner of his apartment.

He didn't live in a fantastic part of town, and rarely had time to be here at all. He didn't think much of his place. Duct taped windows, peeling white walls, and scrapped wooden floors were normal for him. Even walking around barefoot had its dangers with the nails protruding from the old planks. It never bothered him. He just dodged them on his way to his fridge, which was small enough to be jealous of some coolers. He brought out a beer before heading to his favorite spot and falling in.

Beside him, the answer machine blinked aimlessly. He unbuttoned the top few buttons of his shirt and reclined his feet on the table before leaning over._ Leave for an hour; come back with four damn messages. _Furrowing his eyebrow, he popped open his can and experimentally took a couple of sips. "Dad, Dad, Dad." _Maybe one beer isn't enough._ It surely wasn't enough to deal with his father. He ignored those messages.

What did catch his eye was his company's number. Red Rum was the name of his current mercenary contractor. Hunter knew his way around a few organizations in his past. Some he left on his terms. Others, he might have been escorted out—he didn't quite remember all the details. For now, these people gave him what he thought he needed: closure.

His fingertips danced on the off-white phone. _Do I really want to deal with the fallout tonight? _He'll have a whole day to deal with it tomorrow. For now, he just wanted to relax. Reflexes took his priorities. Before he knew it, his ear was to the phone and he was listening to the message.

"Hello, Hunter. This is Romy. You're probably home by now, sipping beer at about midnight. You have work tomorrow. Also, you wouldn't know anything about that assault on a man and his Pokémon on the news. If you know, you'll tell us about it tomorrow, right? If not, I'll tell everyone it's a false alarm. Enjoy your night because you're opening up tomorrow. Thanks."

_Beep. Beep. Beep. Click. _

Hunter placed down the phone, instantly regretting that he even listened to that message. He cocked his head back, rubbing his temples, and gulping down the rest of his beverage. He _was_ going to hear about that mishap all tomorrow. Any of them would have done the same. _But, I'm the barbarian and I'm going to hear about it. _

He decided then that maybe one beer wasn't enough.

* * *

**Author Notes:** Welcome everyone to the story!

I hope that you liked the first chapter. Let me tell you a little bit about this story. It's going to be divided into volumes, each five chapter each. It's like a comic book! There are missions, off-days, and shorts chapters. Each provides something a little different to the story. I hope that you guys stick around to enjoy the story I have planned.

Review, follow, and favorite! This place will be dedicated for now on to talk with you guys!


	2. Work-Day: Dogs and Witch Hunts

Work-Day: Dogs and Witch Hunts

* * *

_Red Rum Headquarters, 5:45 am_

* * *

Opening came down to two things: paperwork and coffee. Hunter knew that he'll have a good supply of both.

The morning clung to a bitter coolness in the autumn breeze. Wind whistled loudly overhead, carrying leaves of reds, oranges, and yellow slapping against Hunter's grey hood. The dirt path was hardly as straight as the maps made it out to be. They winded and turned in unruly fashions. Tall grass crept on the edge and even few patches here and there where it overtook the road. Getting the government to work on the road was like getting a warm summer day in Snowpoint City. Not to say that it couldn't happen, just unlikely.

Hunter stuffed his hands in his pockets as he continued through the path. More than several times, he checked with his finger to ensure he had everything. His keys and his Pokemon were on the top of his list. There's been more than enough times where he had gotten all the way to the building and had nothing to open the door with. He had to wait until someone else came in. Some were more accepting to that blunder that others. Some of them didn't have the right to talk themselves.

Thankfully, he didn't have to worry about such scrutiny today—at least about that.

He allowed himself to slow down for a moment and enjoy the ambience of the world around him. Just a little outside of his peripherals, a boy and a girl battled. He heard the sound of her Charmeleon sear through some bug Pokemon that he couldn't quite pin down. Hunter felt the excitement of the girl's victory and the disappointment of her opponent. Everything had a signature to him, something that he could feel. From the Pokemon shuffling in the grass to the people around him, he felt something about them.

Hunter knew everything around him through a simple jolt of his body.

Ignoring it entirely was hard. He felt it on his skin and it ran through his veins. Everyone and everything felt different. Wavelengths were what he called them. It wasn't foreign for a man to adopt a little bit from a Pokemon or develop ability. Sabrina of Saffron held telekinesis and telepathy on level of some Pokemon. Olympia of Anistar could see glimpse of the future. His was overwhelming at times. Luckily the route was quiet enough to avoid such overloads.

He rubbed his finger across a Pokeball on his waist. Without even see it, he knew who was inside. Pangs of loneliness did get to him from time to time. Feeling everyone around him didn't mean that he knew everyone. So, he released the only living thing that knew him better than himself. He barely touched the ball on his waist before it sprung open in a brilliant display of white light. A form formed torn through the light, starting off small and ending up large. Herc, released from his Pokeball, landed with powerful thud on the ground.

Herc looked far older than he actually was. His yellow fur was shaggy and unkempt, much like his master's head. The one good eye on the beast's head glistened orange-red against the light of the waking sun. He shook off his cramps, yellow fur flying all over the dirty path. Hunter gave a small grin. This was his first. He loved his other Pokemon, but none were quite the same. "You okay, old man?"

_"Been better, sir._"

Most people talked to their Pokemon without getting a verbal—in a traditional sense—response. Not many people were born of an Alakazam and Electrabuzz either. "Don't tell me you're starting to feel your age."

_ "Only when you start feeling yours." _

"I'm only twenty eight."

_"Eh. That's pretty old for a human." _

"You need to be around more humans."

"_No sir. Red Rum is enough. Trust me." _

Hunter laughed at the prospect, looking like a crazy person laughing at his own joke.

They continued down the route, past a couple of houses, and towards a large building. The structure itself was new. Several stories high, the windows gleamed in the sunlight. Fresh white paint of the walls rolled beads of dew off the ground. The light on the outside poles were on, buzzing loudly. Hunter looked up at one of the poles with weary eyes. He'll have to be the one to fix those. He looked at Herc would shook his head and rolled his eyes.

Hunter searched his pocket again and brandished a key and his wallet. Security was pretty high within the headquarters. This route was regularly used by trainers. Trainers were notorious for being more than just adventurous. They slipped into places where they didn't need to be. Sometimes that was a good thing. Others got them locked into jail or worse.

He unlocked the door first before swiping the keycard. The device on the side blinked from red to green several times before deciding on the latter as its hue. Red Rum's glass door slid up and permitted the Pokemon and his master to enter. It didn't last long. Once all the feet were in the door, it closed behind them and left them alone in this complete darkness.

A sudden jolt in his body told him that he wasn't alone.

_"We aren't alone," _he told Herc with his mind.

_"Do you recognize the wavelength?" _

"Yes." Hunter smelled the air, yet never truly breathing. He did recognize this signature. Differentiating one person from another was easy enough, like smelling the sense of lemongrass against rose petals. The two senses always walked hand and hand with him. So yes, he knew this one. Actually, he knew it too well. Only one person sung to his sixth sense like this. The feeling felt warm and cold as jumped through his body. She was the only person that he couldn't block out. Every time he wondered why.

He clapped his hands and the lights turned on.

A woman sat in the dark behind the entrance desk. She sipped tea; her red hair tossed to one side of her neck. There was no expression on her face. Occasionally, she would paint something on her pale white face to fit her needs. Her green eyes never received her paint brush. They always remained doll-like. Even in a pair of cargo pants and tank top, she looked as though she belonged in a plastic house. "Hunter," she said with a nod.

Her Seviper nuzzled her chin as she spoke. The creature was freakishly large, its body taking well over a third of the room. Despite Nehi's size, it moved quietly. It never hissed, breathed loudly, or made a sound as it slithered across any surface. The snake was fitting to the woman's work. Everything required silence with her. No doubt she and her snake got in this room without even triggering the alarm.

"Romy," Hunter finally responded with a nod. "Tested the security again? You could have at least kept the door open."

"You were opening up. Not me."

Hunter shrugged. "Did you at least get the coffee machine started?"

"I don't drink coffee."

"_And besides, sir, you drink enough coffee as it is to keep yourself awake." _Herc chimed in.

Hunter ignored him. "Is anyone else reporting in soon?"

"Molly and Jen had something to do before coming in. Katrine just got back from Sinnoh so she'll be here tomorrow. Rex will be late, always is. And Mitch has a doctor's appointment. So it's us for now."

"Alright that's fine."

Hunter allowed himself to breath smoothly since entering. Despite knowing who it was, his adrenaline still ran high. What calmed him down was caffeine. As ridiculous as that might have sounded, coffee kept him from ripping someone's head off. It also dulled the wavelengths. Smoking did the trick too, but he didn't enjoy the prospect of lung cancer enough to chain smoke. He headed to the break room.

Like most of the building, the break room was relatively bare. It had the standard folding table, a few steel chairs, a smaller folding table, and a coffee machine. That's all that Hunter need. With heavy steps, Hunter lugged his way across the white tiled floor. He only heard Herc following him. When he turned back, Romy and Nehi stood in the doorway.

"You move so damn quiet." Hunter mentioned that for the entire two years that he had known her.

"It's my job." And he got that response every time as well.

Hunter poured himself some water, found some coffee on the small table, and started up the machine. He watched the black liquid constantly drip from the top. "So, are we going to talk about last night or what?" Patience hadn't been a strong suit that he honed quite right in normal civilization. "Who know that I beat the shit out of a guy for I can prepare for the backlash?"

"Everyone," Romy sipped her tea. "Care to talk about _why_ you did it?"

"Urgh." Hunter pulled a chair up. "He knew something about Gabriel."

"Did he now? And it didn't cross your mind that I'm better suited for getting this information?"

In fact, it did. Hunter assessed the situation before heading out that night. Rosemary Kimura was a state of the art shadow and interrogator. She used her team and each of their assets in ways no one had seen. Poison and ghost types were her favorite. She loved the lure of their death and the beauty of their power. Love might not be the right word. _I'm not sure what she even loves. _"I thought about it," he said gruffly.

"But because it was your territory, you had to piss all over it."

"Pretty much." Three cups filled with coffee and a ghost of an annoyed stare from Romy forced Hunter finally stop the machine. "Everyone knows that anything dealing with that bastard comes through me. Nothing more. Nothing less."

"_You are a bit obsessed with one particular assassin, master."_

"Herc I didn't ask you," Hunter said aside to his Pokemon.

"Apparently he said something that seemed far too logical for your taste."

Times like this made Hunter wonder why he handled so much scrutiny. "I found that he used Johto as an escape path from his assassination of the Senator. But the trail is already too cold and I don't have the time to see where it warms up."

"No you don't."

"What do you mean?" Hunter experimentally drank his coffee. Black coffee was all he knew. The heat was enough to burn his tongue. He just pressured through the pain. Patience definitely wasn't his strong suit.

"We got a new job today."

"What, by who exactly?"

Red Rum received most of its work from high end trainers, gym leaders, Elite Four members, and very rarely Champions of the Region. Problems needed to be solved and they solved them. Usually, this was done outside of the standard law. They never did anything incredibly illegal per say. They had enemies and things that needed to be done to assure the safety of the region. Everything couldn't fall into the law's hands. If it did, Hunter wouldn't find much work anywhere else.

"She's coming by in a few. Get in your coffee and try to be cordial for once. You almost scared Misty with your howling last time."

Romy disappeared back into the main lobby area, Nehi in toe.

Hunter enjoyed the quietness, falling in the nearest steel chair. He gripped the cup he was holding and carried the rest of the pitcher with him. Today's newspaper sat on the desk. _Romy must have brought it in. _He placed the pitcher on the table before him. With his now free hand, he flipped open the newspaper. The headline read: "_Investigation Continues: Senator Royals"_. Scanning the paper with his eyes only gave him weak testimonies and information on the Senator's life. He didn't care much for it.

Draining his first cup and pouring the second, he kept reading. Still nothing popped out to him. From all the reports, the homicide baffled the investigators as well as the media. Jim Royals was protected, may be not Groudon protected as previously exaggerated, but protected nevertheless. That never stopped Gabriel. He was the only person in the world that rivaled the movement of Romy. So they wouldn't find him. They never did.

Somehow, the second cup of coffee disappeared from its cup. He hadn't remembered drinking it. The bitterness still stayed on his lips so he figured that he did. He poured the last cup. The hope of finishing it before client made died with the front door bell buzzing.. "Should I drink this last cup now or later?" he asked Herc.

Herc shrugged. "_Frankly I don't care. Sir." _He added as quick and terse as a man making a snide comment to a superior.

"Who taught you to be a smart ass?"

"_Came with the territory." _

Sighing, Hunter took his last cup with him and entered back into the main lobby. Sometimes he wondered why a top notch military contractor didn't have much furniture. There were only a few chairs put in a corner, an actual table (for once), and some fake plastic plants. At least the light held some brightness, throwing long shadow on the floor and against the cream colored walls. Romy sat in one of the black chairs and the client sat on the other side. Thankfully, Romy began on the paperwork.

Hunter took heavy steps, his boots making loud thuds. He envied Romy's quiet movement. Emulating proved difficult. Romy noticed him well before he got even close. "You can't sneak up on me," Romy mocked, not even turning her head. Nehi licked the air at the words. "I'll have to teach you one day. But, now isn't the time. Allow me to introduce a close friend of mine."

Romy extended her hand towards the young woman across from him. "Meet Erika from Celadon City."

"Hello," Erika said softly. She looked dazed with her eyes barely open. A Bellossom sat in her lap, swaying back and forth. "And I have a job for all of you. Would you care to listen? It's a wonderful tale if I can tell it right. Please, please sit down…" she pause for a second. "My, you _do _look familiar. I've seen your face before. You have very pretty eyes and hair, what's your name?'

"Hunter."

"Hunter….." Erika tilted her head, thin black hair cascading across her face. "Oh. Nevermind. I know who you are."

Romy giggled at that. Hunter coughed loudly. "You had a job for us." His face felt warm all of a sudden. He knew who he reminded her of. Sometimes, he hated the similarities.

"Oh yes. But I'm going to have to tell you a story first." Erika wagged her finger. "It's a beautiful story of rights and wrongs, of beauty and order. People don't appreciate the little things in life, Rosemary and Hunter. Some takes things for granted and loses simple pleasures. I need someone to stop horrible people taking away simple pleasures from good people. Can you do that? Can you take away those bad people?"

Hunter looked on in confusion. "Uh—"

"That's a yes, Erika."

"It is?" Hunter questioned.

"Good, good." Erika seemed more than pleased with the answer. She nodded, swaying to the rhythm of her Bellossom for several seconds. Only after Romy tapped her on the shoulder did she produce a notebook from her kimono sleeve. "Oh my… Allow me to fill in the details for you."

"Can the people we deal with get any weirder?" Hunter whispered to Romy.

"You work at Red Rum, Hunter. Weird is all we do."


	3. Mission Briefing: MAG Eco Terrorism

Mission Briefing

Mission Type: Extermination

Client: Erika of Celadon City

**_8:00 A.M_**

* * *

As eccentric as Erika was, she explained the mission's priorities with a grace of a Swellow. _Maybe not that graceful_, Hunter amended in his mind. She tended to jabber off on small details and leave out important details throughout her briefing. Luckily, Romy and he got the main objective down. M.A.G, a newly formed eco-group, has been spotted in the Viridian forest area. After being suspects of hundreds of potential scares, this one would put the nail in their figurative coffin.

"This is a very bold move for an eco terrorist group, " Romy mentioned to Erika with a shrug.

"Of course it is." Erika's expression softened. "Blue has been known for thwarting any of their plans in Kanto before. But, since he has business in the Indigo Plateau today it might seem like perfect opportunity for a strike against his town. I've been trying to contact him all day. Alas, I cannot get to him. The Elite Four is known for privacy and secrets, so communications there are often…elusive. Elusive is a very elusive word, don't you agree?'

Romy didn't seem to think much of this insanity. She just nodded as though Erika didn't just sputter some nonsense. Hunter, on the other hand, pushed back his confused expression and tapped his pen on the side of the table. "Yes," was all either of them could mutter.

"Is there anything else you need to know?" Erika folded her hands in her lap. Her Bellossom jumped on the table, looking at her with annoyed eyes. Apparently, her hands ruined the grass Pokemon's sitting spot.

Hunter thought over any stray information in his head. "It's not common knowledge out of fear of the community, but I've heard that they're reminiscences of what was one Team Magma. If that's true, they didn't take a lot of effort to change their appearance. So, do you know if the rumors are true?"

"It's actually both Magma and Aqua," Erika said with a nonchalant expression.

"They hate each other. They've been in war for years, going a decade. Why the change? And why here?" Hunter asked.

"It's not uncommon for gangs that hate each other to have alliances when they have the same thorn in their side. Thorns like a rose…" Erika trailed off for a second. "Ah, but the leaders Archie and Maxie aren't present in this alliance. That's probably why the feel so at home with each other. Like a candle's scent inviting you in the doorway, they feel like they belong with each other until the candle burns out. Then they realize they're in a stranger's home. Please remove them from our home."

Erika placed the money on the table, before standing up. She bowed lowly. The order was simple: exterminate the pest. Hunter only assumed that is what she wanted. Most clients specified if they wanted their marks alive or dead. Ambiguity left room for imagination. Alive was too dangerous most of the time. Hunter never liked bringing people in anyway.

"Any more questions?"

"No, thank you. We have to get things ready. Thanks for you for your time, Erika. This will be done by noon."

Hunter looked at his watch, then at the wall clock. "That's cutting it a bit close." He scratched the thick stubble creeping on the side of his cheek. "That's an hour for preparation and a good half-hour or more flight time: that will leave about two hours and a half to find the targets and "remove" them. And that's not counting the authorities. You are really over confident by making that ludicrous statement."

"You wasted about a minute talking about it. That's a minute we could've used." Romy petted her snake. "Twelve should be easy for the both of us alone. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Fine. Designated mission completion is at noon."

Erika, pleased at that news, bowed again. "Then I will excuse myself. Bellossom, let's let the good people go do their work." Bellossom did as it was told and followed Erika out of the front door.

Again, Romy and Hunter sat alone in the building. "Should we inform the other people we're going to be gone?" he asked.

"Did you not see them report in a few hours back?"

"They're in already?"

"Yes," Romy said in a soft indignation. "Did you not see Herc walk off with Molly? I'll let this one slide. Erika was rambling off."

They rose from their seats. Romy headed straight for the armory, mind focused on the time. When she promised a time, she expected it done at that speed. Honestly, it was a trait that they shared. Clients wanted things completed on time. They paid good money for this service to bypass all of the unduly work with getting Interpol or the police done. Beside they were one of the best. A reputation they planned to keep.

Through the plain white hallways and equally plain tile floor, they came in contact with one of their companions. Rex Alder was boulder of a man, short to the ground with the mass of a Golem. Always wearing simple graphic t-shirts and jeans while doing cleaning, he was far from the most noticeable of dressers. Hunter was hardly one to talk. That didn't matter. His sheer size told enough stories. He took up a large majority of the hallway, muttering words of a song to himself in a horribly off key. Romy stopped to look at him, sighing. Thick, brown, and tangled hair concealed the ear buds in his ear. But, Romy knew and scowled. Rex didn't even notice; his entire attention seemed completely focused on the tile.

"Rex," Romy called out.

No answered. The fair skinned muscled man still worked on the tile diligently.

"Rex." Romy called out again.

Still nothing.

"Rex!' Hunter shouted.

"What!"

Hunter found himself staring down at the short, but wider man. His dark eyes returned a look of confusion before pursing his lips realizing what was happening. "uhh," was all that he managed to say at first. A slight annoyance gathered in Hunter's chest. Romy just watched on in amusement.

"Sir!" Rex said, getting to his senses. For some reason, perhaps his constant use of explosive or his family life, Rex spoke in shouts. After the first few times in his presences, walking away with a headache came with the territory. Now, Hunter stood for the yelling. What he didn't quite stand for is his complete absent-mindedness. "What's going on?"

"What's going on is that we need to get to the armory?"

"And what's stopping you?"

Romy just arched an eyebrow and Rex reddened. He stepped aside. "Sorry sir and ma'am. The floor's a bit slippery"

"Of course it is. We just watched you mop it for a good minute." Romy enjoyed a good joke, more so than Hunter ever could. The jape still earned a hurt expression on the big man's face. She patted him on the head. "You're down because Katrine's not here. Don't worry, she'll be back tomorrow."

Hunter rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "Can we get going now? You did put us on a deadline. We don't really have the time to nurse a love-sick puppy dog."

An unreadable expression sprung on Romy's face before patting Rex on the shoulder. Hunter frowned. Something about the way she stormed off pinged something in the back of his head. She almost seemed, angry, at that comment. He paid it no mind ultimately. Still, that was a very rare case. No one ever got Romy angry, not even herself. "You're right, she called out. We've wasted enough time."

Hunter acknowledged Rex with a nod and followed after her. She walked with a bit more varicosity as to increase the distance between the two of them. "What did I do?" Hunter shouted. He didn't get a response, at least not at first. Even Nehi seemed to be thoroughly different, coiling around his master as to protect her. After a while, he didn't want to know the answer anymore. He focused on the mission instead.

They finally got to armory door, where Romy recomposed herself. "I apologize," she said curtly. "Rex was just feeling bad and I was helping him feel better."

"We're on the clock, remember?"

"I'm aware of that," Romy said with a venomously sweet tone. "And you underestimate how fast I can get this mission done. Stealth and extermination is my specialty. I was forged for it."

She opened the armory doors with that statement, closing the discussion at the same time.

Silently, Hunter followed her in. To his surprise the room was already filled with two people. One he didn't mind, the other he did.

"Isn't it a little early to someone to be spraying water around?" Jen never really greeted anyone, except to give an extravagant bow to Romy. His brown locks flipped smoothly from one position by his light ears to the other as he rose, grey eyes glimmering with both mirth and displeasure. "Pleasure to see you as always, my dear. Wish to share a dance before you go to the ball?" He gave Hunter a small nod and a light smile, mussing his washed-out shirt with one slender hand. "Hop to, soldier, we have a request to fill!" His smile widened to a Purrloin's smirk, loosening his ponytail and giving a laugh. "Loosen up a little; one might think you had a bad night!"

Romy gave a light giggle at that, especially after see how Hunter's face hardened further instead of the opposite. He was the one that he didn't really care for. The feeling was mutual of course. Jen just handled it a lot better.

From her place on the table, the other gave a simple, tiny salute to the pair in the room. Her young head tilted, petite fingers fiddling with metal pieces. "...Good morning, Mister Hunter, Miss Romy. Killing again today?" Beneath strawberry-blonde locks of hair, Molly blinked aqua eyes slowly, expression still as quiet water. She kept her head ducked down, floral cloth swishing over each piece of metal. She didn't smile, her lips rarely tried, and never so early in the morning. Low-bitten nails scratched absently at baggy clothes and the bandanna loosely wrapped over her hair. "Be brighter please, Mister Hunter, the room is dark." She looked over to Romy, thin legs swinging back and forth in their routine child way. "Will you plant tulips with me when you come back?"

Molly always brought the best out of Romy. Colder and snide comments laced her words with most other people. She never talked to Molly that way. "Of course I will. And don't mind Mister Hunter. He's a little uptight right now."

Jen sighed, the dramatic noise punctured by the giggle in his voice. "I never know him not to be. If only he knew how to unwind." Playfulness never left his eyes, but it positively burned there now. "Perhaps you should let him borrow your Slinky, Molly dear."

"Mister Jen, that is going to Tommy."

"Ah yes, my mistake." He gave Romy an affectionate squeeze of the wrist, smile softening. "Perhaps a brushing of his bristles instead would do him well."

Hunter gave a low growl. He had nothing to say. Like he said before, he was on the clock. Dealing with Jen wasn't on that particular list. So, he led himself to his olive colored locker. It wasn't until get got there that he realized Herc was here too. He gave a long stare to the Electivire. Everyone's Pokemon liked Molly like she was some sort of sun in their universe. Even now, he was helping her polish the rifles. Gentlemen through and through, he held her up when she needed to get to a place too high for both of them.

"_This one's yours,"_ Herc called out mentally. Hunter went to grab for it. "_Say thanks to Molly first, sir."_

Gathering his strength he muttered: "Thanks, Molly."

Molly did not smile, but from her place in Herc's grip, managed to twist and plant her small hand on Hunter's head. "Happy killing, Mister Hunter sir."

"That's really sweet of you, Molly. And very well done on the thanks, Hunter." Hunter didn't know when Romy's sarcasm began and ended. Jen knew. He saw it on his slimy face. He didn't care anyway, he just took the gun.

Jen gave Herc a gentle tap. "Ah, give me the Princess, kind knight. It seems your king is needing you to stand straight and prepare your lance." Molly wrapped her arms around Jen's neck, carried down to the nearby stool. "Go on, dear leader, since it kills you to be anything other than an oozing ball of sunshine, head on now. And do try not to get shot. I've had my fill of pulling things from the insides of men I'm not interested in."

"Let's go, Romy before we waste any more time."

Romy and Herc stole stares at each other as though exasperated by his comment. Hunter equipped himself as quickly as he could with ammo, his other Pokemon, and grenades. Neither of them said anything. They knew how he acted when it came to missions. It boiled down to two things: getting it done and getting it done right. That was what he was taught; he wasn't going to let any more games get in his way of that. Jen and Molly would have to wait until after this mission to get anything else out of him.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **_Thanks for all the support so far! Keep at it. I'm glad that you guys are liking the characters and the story so far. _

_I will also like to thank Aiko Isari for helping me with two of the character introduced: Molly and Jen. I can't take credit for how wonderful they are written. So check her stories out and stay here for further surprises. See you guys later. _

SS


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